FTSE makes gains on lower volumes September 20, 2011 THE FTSE 100 index rose two per cent yesterday as traders said dividend hunters tapped into beaten-down defensives and there was some short-covering ahead of a Federal Reserve meeting on US monetary policy options. Oil stocks including BP, pharmaceuticals including GlaxoSmithKline and telecoms including Vodafone were among those adding most points to the index. But [...]
Wall St awaits Fed decision as Greece stalls September 20, 2011 US stocks ended little changed yesterday as investors waited to see if the US Federal Reserve would offer more economic stimulus and if Greece made progress in talks to avoid a default. In the lowest volume session since late August, the market gave up earlier gains of about one per cent as investors were wary [...]
Replicate innovators’ disruptive DNA September 20, 2011 “SO what makes innovators different from the rest of us? Most of us believe this question has been answered. It’s a genetic endowment. Some people are right brained, which allows them to be more intuitive and divergent thinkers. Either you have it or you don’t. But does research really support this idea? Our research confirms [...]
A model for the generation of innovation September 20, 2011 “THE DNA of innovators – or the code for generating innovative ideas – is expressed in the model on the right. The key skill for generating innovative ideas is the cognitive skill of associational thinking. BEHAVIOURAL SKILLS The reason that some people generate more associations than others is partly because their brains are just wired [...]
Downgrade of Italy adds to Eurozone woes September 20, 2011 THE downgrade of Italy’s sovereign debt rating by Standard and Poor’s (S&P) ratings agency was another sounding of the death knell for the Eurozone in its current incarnation. When it announced the revision yesterday from A+ to A, S&P noted Italy’s “weakening economic prospects” and the difficulty of the “fragile governing coalition” being able to [...]
MARKET TOO COMPLACENT ON THE EURO September 20, 2011 YESTERDAY, while London was sleeping and Tokyo traders were just starting their day, Standard and Poor’s downgraded Italy, sending euro-dollar into free fall, as the unit plunged more than 100 points in a matter of minutes. Yet when London traders arrived at their desks, the pair proceeded to stage a comeback recovering all of its [...]
THE TIPSTER September 20, 2011 THE dollar’s strength in recent weeks has seen it really surge against its neighbour the Mexican peso, having appreciated some 14 per cent since mid-July. A break above the peso13.000 level is quite significant for the dollar bulls, meaning a test of peso14.000 cannot be ruled out. Capital Spreads quotes peso13.1270-peso13.1470 for dollar-Mexican peso. We [...]
FOREX ANALYST PICKS September 20, 2011 FOREX STRATEGIST JOHN KICKLIGHTER My pick: Short Aussie-Kiwi, short Aussie-yen, short loonie-yen Expertise: Fundamental analysis with risk management Average time frame of trades: 1 day to 1 week There is a lot of interest this week in the Fed rate decision and constant turmoil surrounding Greece’s slow motion implosion, so I’ll avoid this risk. Instead, [...]
FTSE slumps as Greek default fears spark a flight from risk September 19, 2011 BRITAIN’S leading shares erased much of last week’s gain after concern Greece will baulk at the austerity cuts needed to secure fresh bailout cash, and instead nosedive into a disorderly default, prompted a flight from risk. Banks were among the worst-hit sectors yesterday as international lenders ratcheted up the pressure on Athens, saying it must [...]
Mooted deal gives late lift to stocks September 19, 2011 US stocks fell yesterday but staged a late comeback after fears of a looming Greek debt default diminished on news of a possible deal to advance new bailout funds to Greece. Stocks spent most of the session sharply lower after European leaders disappointed investors by failing to come up with any new solutions to the [...]